Lead · Cottage Grove

MrBeast funded a free house. The neighborhood runs it.

Winter-proof rec house on the South Side. Warm lights. Hard rules. Open door. Ages 5–17. Homework, sports, arts, maker labs, hot dinner. Membership, meals, camps, trips: $0.

Jimmy Donaldson’s charity foundation pledged the dollars. Harriet Cole keeps the keys. 36,000 sq ft at 4700 S Cottage Grove Ave, Chicago, IL 60615. One thousand nine hundred fifty kids on the roll. Twenty-two programs a week. This site is independent. It does not take payment.

Write the family desk Read the floor plan

Chicago Theatre marquee glowing at night on North State Street, with CHICAGO in lights and a red car in the street. — Chicago Theatre marquee, North State Street, after dark. Warm lights. Civic night. Not the rec house itself. Wikimedia Commons.

Classifieds · House fund

Dollars on the ledger

All figures USD. Pledge from the foundation. Spend by local staff. No family invoices.

Pledged$19.60M
Given$12.05M
Left$7.55M
Pre-open build$4.32M

Given, split

Meals$2.95M
Tutors$3.40M
Grants$2.20M
Building$2.30M
Camps$1.20M

Given by month, 2026 · millions

Mar0.78
Apr0.86
May0.94
Jun1.02
Jul0.70
Aug0.84
Sep1.15
Oct0.44

Still to give, by quarter · millions

Q4 20261.55
Q1 20270.72
Q2 20270.76
Q3 20270.80
Q4 20270.70
Q1 20280.68
Q2 20280.74
Q3 20280.78
Q4 20280.82

Gazetteer · 36,000 sq ft

Floor plan

Basement gym: Full floor for indoor run, ball, and winter days when the lake wind bites. Lockers. Coat room on the stair.
1F kitchen / commons: Hot dinner line, family desk, and the big tables. Mina Patel sits here first.
2F library / labs: Homework desks, maker benches, quiet stacks. Sean Okafor posts the week index on the door.
3F quiet rooms: Small rooms for reading, tutoring pairs, and kids who need the volume down.

Index · 22 programs a week

Activities index

Letters to the editor

From the block

“Door is open when the El is still loud. My boys eat. Then they sit for math. Nobody sent a bill.”

Keisha M. · Bronzeville

“Six minutes from Cottage Grove. Coat room took the wet wool. Kid vanished into gym noise.”

Tomas R. · Hyde Park

“Hard rules. Lights on. That is the whole pitch. It holds.”

Elaine B. · Woodlawn

Bulletin

Later editions

Visit

Cottage Grove, then walk

CTA Green Line to Cottage Grove. Six-minute walk to 4700 S Cottage Grove Ave. Bus 4 Cottage Grove runs the curb. Street parking is neighborhood parking — leave it for residents if you can ride the train.

Chicago winter is not a rumor. Coat room sits on the basement stair. Wet wool hangs. Boots drip on the grate. Staff do not send a kid back out without a coat if the house has a spare.

Mon–Fri 2:15–8:15 pm. Sat 10–5. Closed Sunday. Front: +1 (773) 555-0162.

Black-and-white view of the CTA Chicago elevated station sign reading Chicago 800N 300W, with a brick station house and high-rise behind a metal railing. — CTA Chicago station, 800 North / 300 West — downtown elevated platform, not Cottage Grove. Shown as the city’s rail weather. Wikimedia Commons.

Classifieds

Help wanted — tutors, coaches, kitchen

Owen Grant takes names. After-school tutors, gym floor coaches, kitchen hands. No pay from families. Volunteer hours. Write the desk. Ages 5–17 in the rooms. Adults with patience and a clean record.

Read the roles Send a note